Rediscovering Happiness
by ivysaurusrex
Summary: Along with his sister, Haruhi, Alex Fujioka was accepted into Ouran Academy on a scholarship. Throughout his time there, he learns to forget his terrible past and create a promising future. (Rewrite of Shattered Smiles.)
1. Chapter 1

The sound of my alarm beeping endlessly is what woke me from my slumber. Leaning over to silence the source of my annoyance, I heard a knock on my door.

"Alex, get dressed. We gotta leave soon," my sister, Haruhi, announced as she opened my bedroom door slightly.

"Will do," I attempted to say, but the only noise out of my mouth was an inhuman one. It was too early to be up, and I was too tired to talk properly.

"You know, you can stay home if it's a bad day," Haruhi said, concern in her voice. "I don't mind taking notes for you."

Shaking my head, I stood up, reavealing the t-shirt and boxers I had slept in. My back popped as I stretched to rid myself of any remnants of sleep.

"It's not that," I assured her. "I just didn't sleep well."

She knew the real reasoning behind my restless night. Sleep has been a never ending tortue of nightmares ever since, well, nevermind.

Haruhi nodded in understanding and left me to get ready.

I slipped on a pair of skinny jeans, a tighter t-shirt, and an oversized hoodie. After struggling to get a contact into my right eye, and succeeding, I made my way to the bathroom. I caught a glimpse of myself reflected in the mirror in my search for toothpaste.

My hair is short and brown, but if you wanted the specificshade, I guess it could be considered a chestnut brown. It always had that messy look, no matter how many times I brushed it. Both of my eyes were now almost the same shade as coffee, minus the excessive amounts of creamer and sugar; there's been an absence of emotion in them for a couple of years now.

I finished brushing my teeth, put some shoes on, grabbed my backpack as well as my iPod and earbuds, and followed Haruhi out the door.

* * *

About an hour into school, I began to doze off. The warmth of my hoodie along with the monotonous voice of the teacher was like a lullaby calling me to sleep.

I guess Haruhi had noticed because she offered once again to take notes for me so I could take a nap. This time, I didn't object. Getting comfortable in the chair I had pulled up in between Haruhi's and this read headed boy's desks despite the teacher's protests, I rested my head on her left shoulder and went to sleep.

* * *

Haruhi woke me up during break so that she could go to the bathroom. No longer tired, I decided to use this time to observe the people around me.

This group of three girls would whisper, turn to look at me, and then resume their huddle as they giggled. A few people were cleaning up their sloppy handwriting in their notes. Others had their noses stuck in books. The red head that sat to my left was talking with his twin about Haruhi and me.

Twin 1 wondered why there were two scholarship students. Twin 2 pointed out that Haruhi got in on an academic scholarship while I got one for music. Twin 1 said that I probably couldn't sing, and that's where I stopped listening.

I must have zoned out at some point becaused it took three calls of my name and a hand waving in front of my face to get my attention. Looking up, I noticed a blond with violet eyes and a black haired guy with glasses standing in front of me.

"Alex Fujioka?" glasses guy asked.

"That would be me," I replied, earning a gasp from the group of girls as they heard my accent. The blond seemed surprised by it as well.

"My name is Kyoya Ootori," glasses guy introduced himself. "I was wondering if you are interested in singing for the Host Club." Without missing a beat, I said, "That depends. Will I get paid?"

* * *

I was told to be in Music Room Three right after school, but I got lost and ended up being thirty minutes late. As I approached the club's door, someone opened it from the other side.

"Haruhi?"I asked as the said my name. "What are you doing here?"

"Long story," she sighed. Haruhi stepped to the side in order to let me in.

The room was packed with girls still in their puffy, yellow uniforms. In addition to Kyoya and the blond from earlier, there was a shorter, more cutesy blond; a really tall guy with black hair; and, much to my disappointment, the twins from class.

"What are you doing here?" questioned Haruhi as she followed me to the far side of the room. I set down the amp I had gone back home to get before answering.

"I'm being paid to sing." She dropped the subject and let me be.

Since I had no idea what song to sing, I just kind of sat back and surveyed the room. Everyone was just as stuck up as they were during school.

All the girls acted all prim and proper. They each sat with perfect posture, held their heads high, and kept their hands in their laps. The Hosts, I am assuming they are called that, had different ways of interacting with their guests. The violet-eyed blond acted like he was royalty and gave compliments whenever he could. Kyoya discussed some real world problems. The short blond made more casual conversation while eating various sweets, and his tall friend gave input here and there. The twins were putting on a show based on their brotherly love for one another.

Club time was close to an end by the time I thought of a song. Spotting a set of speakers on the other side of the room, I snuck over and hooked my iPod up to them. I selected the song from my music library, and the speakers came to life.

A hush fell over the room as everyone tried to find the source of the music. They all seemed surprised to find me next to the speakers until they realized that I was the musical scholarship student. With only a few seconds before I needed to start singing, I took my hoodie off and cleared my throat.

" _Grown up; she just turned 16. Stuck in the moment, dead at the scene, and it's on tonight. This is the life that you wanted, right?"_ Many were shocked by the sound of my voice.

" _So turn off all the lights. Dressed up just like a movie star. At all the parties, they'll know who you are. Wouldn't it be great to be fashionably late? so why don't you wait till you're sedated?"_ As I finished the first verse and began to sing the chorus, the atmosphere in the room became more relaxed and less official.

A few seconds after the chorus, I began to sing the second verse,

" _Step in, and you can lock the door. The candles are light, and the clothes on the floor. You could take a chance at finding romance. Now you're holding hands, but he's got other plans._

 _"Tick-tock, the clock is turning red. The room won't stop spinning and thoughts in your head, and it's too late. You feel like you're making a big mistake. You should've waited."_

Before I knew it, the song was coming to an end.

 _"Do you, do you want to lose it all? 'Cause this is more than just a dance hall drug. You can't wait to fall in love._

 _"All I'm saying is , do you, do you want to learn to fly? Then you should pack it up and say goodbye. 'Cause when push comes to the shove; it's just a dance hall drug."_


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back! I am so terribly sorry for the long wait, lack of motivation and a shit ton of drama in my personal life has prevented me from continuing this story. Hopefully, you'll forgive me.**

* * *

It's been a few days since my debut as the club's new musical entertainment. I have yet to go back; hell, I haven't even been to school since then. It's not as though they'll miss me anyways.

"Alex, if you're just gonna sit here all day, you're gonna have to do some work," my best friend, Rei, told me as she threw an apron at me.

"Fair enough," I mumbled, getting off her couch and going to the bathroom. I desperately needed a shower.

For the past three days, I have been hiding out at Rei's apartment. Ranka pissed me off again, and I may or may not have stormed out in the middle of the night. It's obvious to everyone that he doesn't want me in his house anymore. Well, everyone except Haruhi; Ranka and I have come to an agreement to play nice around her. That way, she can focus solely on her academics and not have to worry about an upset household. Honestly, Haruhi is the only thing holding us together as a family.

Emerging from the bathroom with a towel around my waist, I went to Rei's room and raided her closet, looking for the spare clothes I left here last time. Finally fully dressed, I tied the apron around my waist and made my way downstairs.

Coming from a well off family, Rei bought the cafe below her apartment a few years back. According to her family, it was probably the best decision she's ever had financially. She has had this fascination with baking for as long as I can remember, but she didn't want to run just a bakery. Her "compromise" with herself was opening the cafe and selling her baked goods as well as coffee and other beverages.

"Here, you wait on tables. The other guy bailed on me half an hour before the lunch rush," ordered Rei as she shove a small notepad into my hands. In a slight daze, I just kind of stared at her for a second. She put her hands on her hip and continued, "I'd like it if you started now."

* * *

"I didn't think it was possible for me to hate people any more than I already did," I commented to Rei as I sat down on the counter by the cash register.

The cafe had finally closed, and we were cleaning a bit before heading upstairs. Well, Rei was; I was just sitting there, staring at her as she wiped down the tables.

Rei was slightly shorter than me despite being three years older. Her black hair fell to her waist in waves whenever it wasn't in a bun. Pale skin contrasted with the freckles dusted across her face, and she had bright blue eyes that, ever since three years ago, held a look of sorrow. She could hide behind fake smiles, but I knew that she was still grieving inside; I was as well.

The calm silence that had fallen over us was broken by Rei saying, "You know, you gotta go back sometime."

I let out a deep sigh and ran my hand through my hair. I was due for a haircut any day now.

"Yeah, I know," was my reply. "Hey, when are Max and Finn coming back?" I asked, desperately wanting to change the topic.

She finished scrubbing a table before answering, "They'll get here tomorrow, and you'll be leaving the day after. I don't care if you don't wanna go back. Haruhi's worried about you; she deserves to know you're safe."

I don't respond because I know Rei's right. Each time I storm out, I put a little more distance between Haruhi and me. She doesn't deserve it. I'm just so much of a selfish prick that I don't notice my little sister is worried.

Sliding off the counter, I began walking upstairs. On the final step, I turned slightly, so Rei could hear me.

"I'll go to school tomorrow," I said before going into the apartment.

* * *

Gossip surrounded me as I strolled through the halls of Ouran Academy. I couldn't care less since I wasn't here to gossip; I was here for Haruhi.

As I arrived to my class, I heard the teacher already going at today's lesson. I opened the door, not caring that I interrupted, and searched the desks full of students for Haruhi. It took me a minute to spot her; she was wearing the school's male uniform for some reason. I'll ask her about it later.

The teacher had paused and greeted me, "So nice of you to join us today, Mr. Fujioka."

I just gave a half-hearted peace sign as a response once I sat down in a chair next to my sister. The chair placement once again earned me a glare from him before he went back to teaching.

The whole class, I could tell that Haruhi was itching to ask me where I've been, but she held back, not wanting to disrupt class. It wasn't until break that she got her chance to interrogate me.

Meeting my eye with a stern look on her face, Haruhi was relentless in her questioning.

"Where the hell have you been? Do you know how worried I've been? I thought you got yourself into trouble! Actually, no, I had no idea what you were getting yourself into until Rei called," she paused to take a breath. "On top of my worrying about your disappearance, the Hosts have been annoying the ever loving shit out of me since "their musician" was gone without a trace. Never leave me alone with that obnoxious group of people again!"

"Haru, calm down. You're gonna end up throwing yourself into an anxiety attack, and speaking from experience, those are not fun," I said as I turned and propped my elbows on her desk. "I'm here now. I'm alive and in one piece. As the older one, I should be the one worrying about you, not the other way around."

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Haruhi nodded, "I was just concerned that you had slipped back into your old ways, but now that you're here, my mind's at ease."

Hearing those words, I wrapped my arms around her, and we sat like that until the end of break. Before we pulled apart, I whispered some reassuring words to her.

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna be like that again."

Looking at her lap, Haruhi shook her head of any negative thoughts and smiled at me.

"You do know that Tamaki and Kyoya are going to kill you, right?"


	3. Chapter 3

Contrary to popular belief, I was actually glad to be in the club room. The rest of the school day was stressful; the constant questioning from everyone had slowly pissed me off until I practically became a ticking time bomb, ready to blow up at any second. Thankfully, Haruhi had explained my mood to the Hosts, so after the incident at the start of the club meeting, they steered clear of me for the remainder of it.

"All right, so we have finally agreed on the club's next theme, correct?" Kyoya asked Tamaki for confirmation, probably so he could go ahead and order costumes and such.

The club's president just mumbled a yes in reply. He is probably still shocked with how I had yelled at him when I first walked in; it's his fault for asking me where I've been.

Haruhi approached me with her bag in hand. I stood up from my seat and began to gather my things before I being tackled by someone.

"Papa!" I heard an adorable voice exclaim as they remained wrapped around my leg. It was dead silent in the room; everyone, stunned by what just happened, watched us closely. Ignoring them, I bent down to pick the person up.

"Finn! I missed you so much, mon chéri," I greeted my son with a grin on my face and placed a kiss on the top of his head. "How was your trip? And where are your aunt and uncle?"

The chocolate headed boy shook his head, causing curls to fall in his face.

"Oh no! I forgot them!" He yelled. Footsteps could be heard as two people barged into the club room.

"Why would you run off like that?!" One exclaimed, since the other had propped themself up on the doorframe in an attempt to catch their breath.

Finn jumped from my arms and ran towards them, "I'm sorry, Aunt Rei. I got too excited."

Whispering started up from behind me, "Haru-chan, what's happening?"

I turned to face the hosts and began introductions, "As much as I hate for you all to meet. This is my son, Finn Fujioka, and my closest friends, Rei and Max."

Each waved as I said their name. Rei was holding Finn's hand, and Max had finally caught his breath, reaching up to adjust his glasses and run a hand through his hair.

"You," Hikaru began with a great deal of hesitation. "You have a son?"

"That's none of your business," I snapped at him.

* * *

Rei had closed her cafe today due to Max's and Finn's return, and she invited all of us, hosts included, over. I sat on her couch, Finn in my lap, and hated my existence.

"Cheer up, it's not like their staying forever," Max whispered in my ear from his spot beside me.

"This is hell," I muttered as I peered at him from my peripheral vision. Bringing my hand up to brush his ginger hair out of his face, I changed the topic, "You need a haircut."

Someone cleared their throat, and I looked up to see Rei staring at me.

"I believe Tamaki asked you a question," was all she said.

Turning towards the chair he was sitting in, I waited for Tamaki to repeat his question.

"So, how do you all know each other?"

* * *

 **This is a short chapter, but I might pick this story back up. It's always been at the back of my mind; I just haven't found the will to write.**


End file.
